Ryan Smith
Jay Fogleman
EDC 102H
5 December 2014 PKB Reflection
Overall, my most consistent challenge in learning this semester has been staying focused on my work. Concentration throughout my classes has always been an issue for me, and that didn’t change when I entered college. My hardest class this semester was likely my microeconomics class. Even though I expected my calculus class to surpass it in difficulty, I was surprised to find myself struggling in microeconomics. Grasping general concepts didn’t seem much of an issue when the professor was teaching in class. For the most part, it seemed as if common sense solutions were being applied to economic problems. However, when it came time to test my knowledge, I found myself lost.
In order to be successful in college, especially with a concentration problem, I knew it was essential to stay organized. Early on in the semester I realized this and bought a planner to list out my assignments. Also, I began to utilize the “Reminders” app on my phone to stay on top of my work. Organization often involves creating a schedule. Throughout the semester, I tried to balance my work equally so that procrastination would become less of a problem. Additionally, I organized some of my work using Google Docs. For example, every day in my history of jazz class I took notes in a Google Doc so that I could easily refer to any section of my work by using the “find” function and typing in a key word.
One strategy that I developed this semester that augmented the way that I learn was taking notes while reading. For example, while reading the various literary works required for this course, I found it helpful to note the most essential points being touched upon. Another strategy that I used in nearly every class was to read ahead in the textbook so I could go into the following class already having been exposed to the material. This was probably the most advantageous of my learning strategies developed, as it would give me an advantage and a comfortable feeling of already being knowledgeable with new material.
This semester, I used Evernote sparingly. When first introduced to some of its functions, I thought Evernote was an interesting and potentially helpful resource. However, I realized I was more comfortable with my current, familiar ways of organization. Therefore, Evernote became unnecessary for me. In fact, my personal knowledge base varied from class to class. All of my lessons, programs, and acquired information from my computer science class is stored on my Khan Academy profile. As I mentioned before, all of my notes for my history of jazz class are stored on a Google Doc, while my information comes from a textbook. For my microeconomics class, my resources are either in a notebook that I wrote in, in a textbook, or available on PowerPoint slides on Sakai. For calculus, my information is stored in my binder or in a textbook purchased at the beginning of the semester. For this class, my notes reside in word documents and sparingly in my Evernote.
When I did use Evernote, I was impressed with its capabilities and compatibility. The fact that I can access my Evernote both on my computer and my phone is quite convenient. As far as information is concerned, I used Evernote to store information that I initially acquired for my context report. Other than that, I had no use for the software, as the majority of my personal knowledge base is stored offline in Word Documents. For the most part, my personal knowledge base shifted in the direction of the cloud. Regardless of how much I used each resource this semester, I relied on web-based applications to store information gained throughout my classes.
Jay Fogleman
EDC 102H
5 December 2014
PKB Reflection
Overall, my most consistent challenge in learning this semester has been staying focused on my work. Concentration throughout my classes has always been an issue for me, and that didn’t change when I entered college. My hardest class this semester was likely my microeconomics class. Even though I expected my calculus class to surpass it in difficulty, I was surprised to find myself struggling in microeconomics. Grasping general concepts didn’t seem much of an issue when the professor was teaching in class. For the most part, it seemed as if common sense solutions were being applied to economic problems. However, when it came time to test my knowledge, I found myself lost.
In order to be successful in college, especially with a concentration problem, I knew it was essential to stay organized. Early on in the semester I realized this and bought a planner to list out my assignments. Also, I began to utilize the “Reminders” app on my phone to stay on top of my work. Organization often involves creating a schedule. Throughout the semester, I tried to balance my work equally so that procrastination would become less of a problem. Additionally, I organized some of my work using Google Docs. For example, every day in my history of jazz class I took notes in a Google Doc so that I could easily refer to any section of my work by using the “find” function and typing in a key word.
One strategy that I developed this semester that augmented the way that I learn was taking notes while reading. For example, while reading the various literary works required for this course, I found it helpful to note the most essential points being touched upon. Another strategy that I used in nearly every class was to read ahead in the textbook so I could go into the following class already having been exposed to the material. This was probably the most advantageous of my learning strategies developed, as it would give me an advantage and a comfortable feeling of already being knowledgeable with new material.
This semester, I used Evernote sparingly. When first introduced to some of its functions, I thought Evernote was an interesting and potentially helpful resource. However, I realized I was more comfortable with my current, familiar ways of organization. Therefore, Evernote became unnecessary for me. In fact, my personal knowledge base varied from class to class. All of my lessons, programs, and acquired information from my computer science class is stored on my Khan Academy profile. As I mentioned before, all of my notes for my history of jazz class are stored on a Google Doc, while my information comes from a textbook. For my microeconomics class, my resources are either in a notebook that I wrote in, in a textbook, or available on PowerPoint slides on Sakai. For calculus, my information is stored in my binder or in a textbook purchased at the beginning of the semester. For this class, my notes reside in word documents and sparingly in my Evernote.
When I did use Evernote, I was impressed with its capabilities and compatibility. The fact that I can access my Evernote both on my computer and my phone is quite convenient. As far as information is concerned, I used Evernote to store information that I initially acquired for my context report. Other than that, I had no use for the software, as the majority of my personal knowledge base is stored offline in Word Documents. For the most part, my personal knowledge base shifted in the direction of the cloud. Regardless of how much I used each resource this semester, I relied on web-based applications to store information gained throughout my classes.